Keys
by Tafkae
Summary: My first serious story about Krillin. Marronchan's been kidnapped, what will the Zfighters do? RR. Rated PG for scary parts and mild cussing.
1. 18 Offline

Keys  
by TAFKAE  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone here except the ogres and the bad guy. ^_^  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Are you sure that's the one, sir?"  
  
"Of course it's the one." A dark-haired figure smirked, leaning over an image formed on the glistening surface of the water. "And if, perchance, I'm wrong…" It sighed contentedly. "She will at least smoke out the real Key."  
  
Its thug grinned. "You're brilliant, sir!"  
  
"Yes, I know. And you're an imbecile." The figure turned and moved away from the pool.  
  
The thug laughed. "Thank you, sir!"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"I'll be back later!" Krillin shouted from his front porch, then waved and took off into the sky.   
  
Marron ran out after him and waved back. "Bye, Daddy!!" she yelled.  
  
"See ya, Krillin," 18 said, not very loudly, then grunted and turned to her daughter. "Well, looks like your father left us to do all the housework again," she sighed.  
  
Marron grinned. "Let's not do any."  
  
"I like your style," 18 replied quickly. "How about we go out back and train?"  
  
Her child nodded. "Yeah!" Then she ran up the stairs to go put on some jeans. 18 waited by the back door - until she heard Marron's scream.  
  
"Marron!" she called instinctively, reaching the base of the stairs within half a second. At the top was her daughter… in the arms of a giant, orange, goblin-like creature. Marron squirmed around, trying to get loose. 18 got into a fighting stance. "Put down my daughter, you freak."  
  
"Be careful," it replied, in a low, husky voice. "I wouldn't want to bring damaged goods back to Master."  
  
This only seemed to make the android angrier. "Listen, punk, if you want Marron, you're going to have to fight me first."  
  
The goblin only smirked. "I don't think so. Come on out, Vermy."  
  
The little reddish-brown creature called Vermy seemed to come out of nowhere and landed on the stairs in front of 18. "You ain't fightin' nobody anytime soon!" it stated boldly but rapidly, like it was high on rabies and crack at the same time.  
  
18 smirked. "Try me."  
  
"Okay man, but I'm a-warnin' you, I gots this!" Vermy pulled out a small metal box that almost seemed bigger than he was, but was still only about the size of 18's fist. It had an antenna on one edge and a bright red button on the top. The android gasped as she recognized it immediately.  
  
"That's a..."  
  
Vermy nodded. "Is a button box. De off switch. I press de button - " he held his finger menacingly over said button " - and de robot don' trouble us nooooooo more."  
  
18 figured she had nothing to lose, and charged with a shout of "YOU WON'T TAKE HER!"  
  
Vermy scowled. "I was hopin' it'd be more fun dan dis. O well." His finger came down on the button.  
  
18 froze in place for a second, eyes wide, then dropped to the ground like a rag doll. The other goblin kicked her silent form to the base of the stairway, still holding little Marron tightly. Marron's eyes welled up.  
  
"Mommy!" she yelled, tears running down her cheeks. "What'd you do to her?! What'd you do?!? You can't kill her! My daddy's the best in the world and - "  
  
"Shut up, kid," the goblin said, and smacked one hand against the side of Marron's head. Marron's tiny body immediately went slack.  
  
They didn't bother moving 18. They just left her where she was at the bottom of the stairs, though Vermy insisted on jumping up and down on her face until the other goblin grabbed him by the back of the collar and pulled him away.  
  
"Aw, c'mon man! What's the dilly yo?!" he shouted, squirming around futilely in his comrade's giant hand.  
  
"Shut up, Vermy, let's get this one back to Master."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Krillin got home from Goku's house a few hours later. The first thing he saw was the heap of unwashed dishes in the afternoon light. "I guess I couldn't expect them to do any chores while I was out…" he mumbled, then smiled. "Oh well, I'll just get them outta the backyard."  
  
He set off toward the back door, not noticing what was in his way. His left foot caught under it, and he fell with a shout, landing facedown on the ground. After a second or two in which anyone could have sworn they'd seen a little black cloud over his head, he brought himself to a stand. "Marron! Get your toys out of - " Just then, he turned around to see what exactly it was he'd tripped over. And almost screamed.  
  
"18! 18, wake up!" he yelled, shaking her vigorously. He rolled her over onto her back and saw her beautiful face, locked in an expression of fear, shock, anger... It was the face of the dead man in the parking lot, the face of the little girl with her head forced underwater for just a little too long... The face of the dearly departed... Krillin screamed again. "EIGHTEEN!!!"  
  
Then another cold, numbing fear struck his heart. Where was... "MARRON!" he hollered at the top of his lungs. "MARRON, WHERE ARE YOU?!"  
  
He ran out in the backyard - no Marron.  
  
He ran upstairs - no Marron.  
  
Every closet, every nook and cranny, every cupboard - still no Marron.  
  
Then he noticed the note on the wall in the hallway. It was written in crude block letters, just a certain blackish shade of red.  
  
"FIVE DOWN ONE TO GO."  
  
He picked up the phone and dialed Goku's number.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Gohan pointed over at the TV with his fork. "Hey Mom, did you hear about this?"  
  
Chi-chi looked at the news program that was on at the moment. The reporter had kind of a gnarly voice, but seemed to be pretty good at getting his point across.  
  
"Police say an investigation is underway into the disappearances of four women across the city last week. The women were said to have apparently nothing in common at all, except the disappearances are all suspected to have been masterminded by the same person."  
  
The face of a young man appeared on the screen. "I got home from work the other day, my wife was gone, and there was this note written in BLOOD on the wall. It said, 'One down five to go.'"  
  
"Similar blood-notes were found in the other three abduction sites - "  
  
It was at that exact moment that the telephone decided to ring. Goku, Gohan and Goten all made a mad dash for the handset, but Goku got there first. "Hello?" he asked as his two sons returned to their places at the table.  
  
"Goku? It's Krillin. I need to talk to you," said the voice on the other end.  
  
"Oh, hi Krillin!" Goku greeted his friend. "What's up, you forget something here or what?"  
  
"No, it's a lot more serious than that," Krillin replied. "It's about 18 and Marron." He sounded really distraught by now.  
  
"Yeah, what about them?" Goku asked, suddenly taking the situation much more seriously.  
  
"Marron is gone. I looked everywhere, but she's gone. And 18…" Goku couldn't tell if the sound that Krillin made next was a sigh or a sob. "I think … she's dead."  
  
"What?!" Goku yelled in disbelief.  
  
"I don't know how it happened, but I need to find Marron, at any rate. There was this note written on the wall that said 'Five down one to go,' so - "  
  
"'Five down one to go'?" Goku repeated, turning his head toward the TV set. "It was written in blood, right?"  
  
Krillin jumped. "How'd you know?"  
  
"It's on the news," Goku replied. "Four other girls disappeared recently, too. And all of their houses had notes written on the wall in blood that said 'such-and-such down, such-and-such many to go'." Both paused, then Goku continued. "Tell you what. Gohan and I'll be right over, 'k?"  
  
Krillin nodded. "That'll be good. Come quick!"  
  
Gohan had been listening intently to his father's side of the conversation, so he didn't have anything to ask when Goku hung up the phone and said, "Come on, Gohan."  
  
Goten grinned. "Can I go too?"  
  
Goku shook his head. "No, Goten," he responded. "This is too dangerous for you to come along."  
  
"Aw, maaaaaan," Goten sighed as Goku and Gohan flew out the door.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Good, good," Master laughed as the Key was put in place. "Just one more to go." It moved gracefully, like a shadow, to the image-pool and waved its left hand over it. The water rippled slightly, then a picture came into focus. "And the final Key has been left in the care of a child." Master snickered, its fangs glistening in the reflection of the image atop the water.  
  
Vermy started jumping up and down. "Oh boy! I jus' LUUUUV doin' in niños!" he shouted. The orange ogre groaned.  
  
"For the last time, Vermy, it's more fun to leave them alive. Besides, the child's pretty strong, and you're the weakest thing I've ever seen, next to my houseplants."  
  
Master's smirk turned quickly to a frown. "Shut up, Quarter. And Vermy, get a life or I will dispose of what little is left of your head."  
  
Quarter and Vermy covered their mouths with their hands.  
  
~*~*~  
  
You like? Good! R+R please, next chapter up soon (as in, after finals @_@)  
(o^.^o) The Artist Formerly Known As Ed 


	2. Six Down Nix To Go

Keys - Part Two  
by TAFKAE  
  
Disclaimer: I own some nail polish, a hell of a lot of homework, and... my bucket hat! *grins* Bucket hat, bucket hat, bucket hat!  
  
~*~*~  
  
It was only a few minutes later that Goku and Gohan arrived at Krillin's house. The front door was wide open, so the two Saiyans entered.  
  
"Krillin?" Gohan called. "You in here?"  
  
"In the living room" came Krillin's reply. He sounded distracted, almost like he was in another universe. Gohan and his dad ambled down the hall into the living room. Krillin was standing next to the sofa upon which his wife lay, motionless, her eyes still locked wide open.  
  
"She's not dead," he said, not turning around. "She's been shut down, though, and that's as close to the same."  
  
"And you don't have any ideas on who did it?" Goku asked.  
  
Krillin shook his head. "Not one."  
  
Gohan turned his head to look back into the kitchen. "I saw the note on the way in, but it really doesn't look that much like blood. More like..." He thought for a moment. "...red paint."  
  
"Yeah, I figured that out already." Krillin sighed. "Eighteen..." He leaned over and stroked one side of his wife's exquisite face, whispering to her. "We'll find out who did this to you... and I'll wring their neck with my bare hands. I swear it."  
  
Just then shock hit all three of them. "What in the name of -" Gohan shouted, getting into a fighting stance.  
  
"Was that... Goten?" Krillin asked worriedly, turning around and taking on a similar position.  
  
Goku nodded once. "His power level just shot up by a lot. Something's going on at home!"  
  
Nothing more needed to be said. All three knew their destination as they took off into the sapphire sky.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Get outta here!" Goten yelled, his now-golden hair flowing in waves from his tiny head, a whirlwind of aureate energy swirling around him, turquoise eyes narrow and blazing. "I'm not gonna let you hurt my Mom!"  
  
Chi-chi stood a ways behind him, not wanting to get hurt or see her son do the same. "Be careful, Goten..." she said, almost inaudibly.  
  
Before them stood two ogres. Actually, only Quarter was standing; Vermy was sitting on his left shoulder. The former laughed harshly. "We're not planning on hurting your dear old mommy, kid," he said in his deep, husky tone.  
  
"Tha's right," Vermy said quickly. "Just gon' take her back to Master! No big dilly yo!" He then waved his right hand dismissively. "So get lost. You're startin' ta bug me!"  
  
Goten growled. "You get lost! You can't have my Mom! Get your own!"  
  
Quarter smirked. "I killed my mom, kid. I killed all of my brothers and sisters."  
  
Vermy laughed crazily. "I ate my momma, jus' like I'm gonna eat you!" With that, he jumped down and grabbed Goten by the arm too fast for even the child's quick eyes to see. And Goten screamed.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Goku's eyes went wide. "Damn it! We're too late!" he yelled. All three put on an extra burst of speed.  
  
Somehow, some way, Goten was dying.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Only a few seconds passed, but it seemed like an eternity. Goten could tell by the way he felt his energy draining out of him that he was going to die. He could almost see heaven...  
  
"That's enough, Vermy," Quarter suddenly smacked his comrade upside the head. "Let 'im be."  
  
Now Chi-chi was mad. "What did you go to my Goten!?" she screamed.  
  
Vermy let go of the boy. Goten dropped to his knees, then to the floor facedown, his eyes locked wide open just like 18's. His skin had turned grey and clammy, and his hair had already reverted to its original state. His mother got into her trademark fighting stance, hands drawn like knives.  
  
"He's dead, ma'am," Quarter said, smirking. "And you're comin' with us."  
  
"Ya ya, lady, yo' comin' wid us to see Master!" Vermy waved one of his tiny, dirty fingers at her. "Unless of course ya try and ee-scape, in the case of which we would be obliged an' forced to force you to come along."  
  
Chi-chi yelled and charged.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Chi-chi!" Goku shouted, running through the front door of his house without opening it, which knocked it clean off the hinges and threw it into (and through) a lamp. No one cared.  
  
All three fighters reached the kitchen at about the same time, but Gohan was the one who saw it first. Goten, lying in the middle of the floor like a corpse.  
  
"Oh no! Goten!" he shouted, running towards his brother's pint-size body, then kneeled down next to it and picked it up, looking just as distraught as Krillin. Goku bolted in as Gohan stood up and turned around, then touched his younger son's face.  
  
"Goten..." he murmured, then spoke up. "He's ... so cold..."  
  
"He's not dead," Krillin stated distractedly. He wasn't sure how he knew, but somehow, he just did. Goten was alive - though just barely.  
  
Gohan checked his brother's pulse. "You're right, Krillin, but he's hanging on by a thread."  
  
Goku put one hand on Goten's chest and spoke to him softly. "Who did this to you, son?" he asked, not expecting an answer. His hand started glowing gently.  
  
Krillin gave him an odd look. "Uh, Goku? What're you doing?"  
  
"He just looks like his energy's been drained. Maybe if I give him some of mine, he'll stand a better chance of living."  
  
Gohan nodded. "Good idea."  
  
It was only a few seconds later that Goku removed his hand. Goten was looking better already. His greyish skin had returned to its normal pinkish color, his eyes had closed, and the rise and fall of his chest was visible now.  
  
"Looks like it worked," Goku commented. "I can feel some power levels off to the north of here. You two go and find them; I think I'd better stay with Goten."  
  
Gohan nodded. "Right."  
  
Krillin started looking around again. "Hey, where's Chi-chi?"  
  
"They probably took her just like they took Marron," Gohan stated angrily. "We've gotta find her!"  
  
Gohan and Krillin then bolted out the front door and rose into the air as Goku put his younger son on the couch. "Good luck, guys," he murmured, turning his face to the window.  
  
No one ever noticed the blood-red scribble on the wall, saying, "SIX DOWN NIX TO GO".  
  
~*~*~  
  
Finally getting to the good part! *pumps arm* Yes! Yes! Yes! I love one-hour lunches, they are the only good thing about finals week! STORIES!!!! R+R please.  
  
(o^.^o) The Artist Formerly Known As Ed (who is on crack today!) 


	3. Good Thing Ogres Not Very Smart

Keys - Chapter 3  
by TAFKAE  
  
Disclaimer: Why do you even read disclaimers? They're all stupid and they always say the same thing. "I don't own whatever blah blah blah." Come to think of it, why do I even write them?  
I own the ogres and the nameless demon.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Gohan and Krillin finally stopped at the bottom of a waterfall.  
  
"Where are they?" Gohan shouted. "WHERE ARE THEY?! This is where the power levels cut off, so they must have stopped here!"  
  
"Don't blow a fuse, Gohan," Krillin warned him. "I'm mad about what they did to 18 and Marron, too, but we have to stay calm."  
  
Gohan hung his fists down at his sides and took a deep breath. "You're right. But where could they have gone?"  
  
Krillin powered up to keep the force of the water from knocking him down, then floated through the waterfall. Gohan watched him. After just a few seconds, Krillin turned and called to his comrade. "There's a cave back here. I bet this is where Marron and Chi-chi are!"  
  
Gohan nodded and stepped through the cascade after his friend.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Inside the cave, Master smirked. "How nice. I wasn't expecting visitors."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Krillin walked down the narrow corridor. It was starting to get dark, and the whole place reminded him of a science tour he'd taken in school once that involved a mixture of ammonia and rotting flesh smells in the air. Every time he heard a noise he jumped and whipped his head around to see if Gohan was still there, and every single time, he was. Most of the time the noise he heard was either himself or Gohan stepping in a puddle. Suddenly, he felt something cold and wet on his shoulder and let out a yelp.  
  
"Ssshhh," Gohan said. "Stop."  
  
Krillin did so while turning his head to see that the thing on his shoulder was actually his friend's hand. "What's up?" he asked, trying to sound as calm as possible, which really didn't work because he was super-freaked out.  
  
"Shh." Gohan put a finger in front of his mouth, looking absently into the black depth of the cave. "Listen."  
  
Krillin did. It wasn't hard to hear once he'd calmed down a little. A definite rustling sound. Like… a large set of vines… in the wind… in the middle of a jet-black cave, where nothing is supposed to grow except moss and lichen…  
  
"That's weird," they both said at once, then gave each other an odd look. They knew what it sounded like, but it shouldn't have been possible. Without a word, they both floated off the ground, trying as hard as they could to be silent, and continued into the depths of the cave.  
  
Finally, they reached a huge chamber. Actually, "huge" was kind of an understatement. It was lit only by a blue flame in a cauldron resting in the center of the floor. The far wall was covered in brownish-grey vines that almost looked like stone sculpture. And in one spot on that wall was -  
  
"Marron!" Krillin shouted, flying up to her as fast as he could. It was his daughter, all right, her eyes closed, bound to the wall by stone vines around her wrists, legs, and midsection. Others protruded elsewhere around her, holding her fast like a giant set of clamps. A few feet away, Chi-chi hung on the wall in the same condition, and Gohan hovered in front of her.  
  
"We gotta get them outta these things," Gohan yelled without turning away from his mother, almost as though he was afraid the wall would swallow her if he looked at anything else. Krillin gave an affirmative grunt and grabbed his daughter around the chest, trying to get her out, firmly but gently. Gohan tried to set his mother free the only way he knew how - smashing the rock around her.  
  
Krillin made no progress. Gohan made less. For every vine that crumbled under his solid fists, another one grew back, and it seemed that the stone foliage was getting thicker every second.  
  
"It's no use," came a voice out of the darkness, but it didn't belong to either Krillin or Gohan. "They won't be able to get out of there until I tell the wall to let go."  
  
Both turned toward the voice's source. Out of nowhere, someone had appeared behind them. The hair was long and dark, the eyes cold and empty, the figure thin and its skin sallow.  
  
Whatever it was, it was from the pits of Hell.  
  
"You'd better let them go," Gohan shouted angrily. "If you don't, we'll have to kill you."  
  
/Kill it?/ Krillin thought nervously. /I just wanna get Marron and Chi-chi outta here!/  
  
It laughed. The voice was feminine, no doubt, and come to think of it, so was the figure and everything else. "You act like you could."  
  
This only made Gohan more incensed. With a yell, he charged at the hell-girl, fists drawn, hair suddenly golden. He threw a single, deadly punch straight at her face -   
  
- only to find it stopped by one finger. The hell-girl laughed her demonic laugh again, then grabbed Gohan by his hair and threw him at the wall.  
  
He couldn't quite stop himself in time. The instant his back hit the wall, some of the stone vines cracked and turned to dust, replaced instantly by an armada of new vegetation that wrapped itself around his limbs and waist, not willing to let go. Gohan kept increasing his power, trying to shatter the vines and get free, but it was futile. Then, too fast for even his eyes to see, another one shot out of the wall and dug itself into his face… and another one into his chest… another one into his right leg… one each into his arms… and he screamed so loud that Krillin had a feeling Hell didn't hold a candle to whatever Gohan felt right now. But Gohan didn't stop screaming. His friend watched in horror as the vines continued to squirm their way deeper into his body…  
  
"Stop it." Krillin couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop it!"  
  
"Or what? You'll hurt me too?" She laughed again. "Don't waste my time."  
  
Krillin was enraged. He barely noticed when the cries of agony coming from his friend began to taper off, then ceased entirely.  
  
"Should we take care of this one, Master?" came a low, husky voice from the darkness, immediately followed by its owner, the large orange ogre known as Quarter.  
  
"Yeahyeahyeah, let us do 'im in!" Vermy, as usual, was sitting on his comrade's shoulder. "Do in the midget!" he yelled in a singsongy voice.  
  
The hell-girl sighed. "Fine. Kill him."  
  
Vermy jumped off Quarter's shoulder and reached for Krillin's arm, intent on having him meet the same fate as Goten… there was a hissing sound as the two different fleshes met… and Vermy jumped back, an ugly-chibi-in-pain expression on his face. "It burns, it burns," he whimpered. "It burns!"  
  
"You're just a wimp, Vermy," Quarter replied maliciously. "I'll get 'im."  
  
The fight soon descended to the ground as each of Quarter's blows was easily blocked by Krillin's forearms. The brawl was stunning, but Vermy was the only one watching. Master was more focused on other things.  
  
"The Vale…" she murmured, hands behind her back, as she gazed up at the door. "All six Keys are in place, with a little extra energy from…" she seemed to search through memories that weren't hers "… this Gohan character. Excellent. Maybe now…" She was almost afraid to say it… it was too good to be true…  
  
Quarter started powering up a blast from both of his misshapen hands, then fired it at Krillin, who almost managed to dodge, but not quite, and it hit him directly in the side of his head. He fell to the ground like a rag doll, bounced a few times, and finally came to rest several yards away, eyes closed.  
  
The orange monster was surprised. That hadn't been a very powerful blast. He walked over to where Krillin lay and was just about to kick him when suddenly the smaller one's foot, seemingly out of nowhere, swept into his ankles, knocking him flat on his back. Krillin then rolled over and bounded to his feet, held one hand in the air, prepared his trademark move, and threw it…  
  
"DESTRUCTO DISK!"  
  
The circle of energy flew closer… closer… closer… Quarter could never have dodged it. A second or two later, the ogre was lying on the floor, his top half about four feet away from his legs.  
  
Vermy quivered as the disk swerved with a quick motion of the former monk's arm and headed toward him… "MOMMA! AH NEVER LIKED YO' COOKIN' ANYHOWS!!!" was the last thing he said before he ended up in a state very similar to Quarter's.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Good thing ogres not very smart! R+R!  
  
(o^.^o) The Artist Formerly Known As Ed 


	4. Everything's Gonna Be Okay

Keys - Chapter Four  
by TAFKAE  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own disclaimers.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Goku was somewhat more relaxed now. Goten was breathing a little easier, and his pulse was just a bit faster, too. But he couldn't get over the feeling that something was going terribly wrong out where Krillin and Gohan were. He was getting really bad vibes from the north, like Krillin was in trouble… Plus, Gohan's power level had risen and dropped sharply in a matter of seconds. But his place, for now, was here at home, keeping an eye on his other son.  
  
After all, he could never forgive himself if one of them were to die.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Krillin stared at the mangled forms of the two ogres, then at the wall. Gohan was still unconscious, and the stone vines were still wriggling enough to be disgusting. Then he looked at the base of the wall, where the hell-girl stood, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she now had four half-henchmen instead of two full ones. He got into the classic fighting stance, feet spread apart, fists clenched just a few inches off his waist, face bent into a grim, sardonic smile. "You ready? I'm taking you down next."  
  
"Oh, are you," the hell-girl responded apathetically. "I couldn't care less, you know."  
  
Krillin's smile quickly turned into a glare.  
  
"Besides, if your friend was unable to defeat me, what makes you think you will?" She turned to him again and smirked. "Especially once I show my true power!"  
  
There was a yell, and a bright flash of darkness. The wind from her ki aura quickly put out the blue flame, and her eyes turned a burning red. She leaned forward and grunted, flexing her small muscles, until two giant batlike wings sprung from her back, spraying just a hint of blood behind her. Her once waist-length black hair vanished, or perhaps simply retracted into her head, as she started to grow. Her clothing, formerly tight, form-fitting, and sexy, shot out in all directions as shreds. Where an almost attractive young woman had stood a moment ago, now was something more than eight times Krillin's height, blackish-grey, bony, and ugly as hell. One large horn protruded from each side of her head, and four more from her shoulders and elbow joints. Two clawed hands, talons for feet, saliva falling from her long fangs, and a face that now looked like something out of MIB and scared the bejesus out of Krillin.  
  
"Now are you ready to fight?" Her voice had become gnarly, synthetic, unnatural. Krillin nodded, not noticing a dark green scrap of cloth landing gently on his head.  
  
"You realize you're going to die," she warned.  
  
"Just as much as you realize you're actually afraid of me," he replied with a confident smirk that betrayed exactly the opposite of what he was really feeling.  
  
Almost before he knew it, she was on him like a fly to the slaughter. He barely managed to get his hands up in time to keep her jaws from closing on his neck. Straining, he tried to force them further open, ignoring the spittle dripping onto his shoulder. He didn't have time. A second later, a giant claw came in on his left, giving him barely enough time to see it coming, much less stop it. Another half-second, and he found himself sprawling across the room, hitting the opposite wall upside-down. The demon kept coming. Krillin opened his eyes just in time to see her clambering toward him. She came closer and closer, and he was too dazed to move. He closed his eyes again, ready for the end, and shouted as he felt a talon penetrate into his body…  
  
~*~*~  
  
The place was once known as Kami's Lookout, when Kami still worked there. The current tenant was Dende, though, and he knew something was going on far below, under the surface of the planet he protected, but he couldn't tell what. At any rate, it wasn't good. He stood there, on the edge of his Lookout, eyes narrow, shaking his head. "This is bad…"  
  
Suddenly, he felt something else from the same direction. Something like… pure… maybe…  
  
"Oh my God," he whispered. "That's not possible!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Seconds passed, and with each one, Krillin started to realize that somehow, some way, he wasn't dead. It wasn't possible, but he was still there, the blood rushing to his head. He opened his eyes to see the demon staring at the wall of vines. Quickly, and hoping she wouldn't notice him, he jumped to his feet and ran behind her until he was about halfway across the room, then looked at the wall… and stopped short.  
  
No one was attached to it anymore. Instead, the six girls who had been were walking, synchronized, toward the demon. Gohan was unconscious on the floor, blood trickling a little more than gently from the holes in his flesh.  
  
"Demon," the girls said, simultaneously, in a voice too close to a baritone to belong to any of them, then they all smirked. It was a creepy sight. "The Keys are no use to you anymore."  
  
Said demon's eyes narrowed even more. "Kylik. I might have known you'd come to spoil my fun. You always do."  
  
Someone dressed in a light blue shirt and darker blue jeans dropped down from the ceiling. His beautiful wings were bright white, as was his hair. A small pair of spectacles adorned his face, and a golden halo the space above his head, and he landed so gracefully that he couldn't possibly have been anything less than an angel.  
  
"You have a twisted idea of fun, demon," he replied, scowling. "Once you kill everyone on the planet, that would leave no one to play with… but you weren't planning on that anyway, were you?"  
  
"I have no interest in this stupid planet," the demon snarled. "Lucifer has gotten too petty in his thinking. Hell needs new leadership for our glorious overthrow of your pathetic 'realms of glory'!"  
  
"I know." Kylik smirked. "But when a candle is lit in a dark room, doesn't the darkness hide behind the chairs and under the table, quivering in fear?"  
  
"Enough of your meaningless chatter!" the demon shrieked. "I will kill you!" She charged toward him, meaning to take his life. Krillin shouted a warning, but Kylik didn't need it. He looked at Krillin and smiled gently, then lifted one hand in front of him.  
  
The demon halted abruptly. "What the -" she stammered before being thrown into the wall with an explosion of rock and dust. Kylik stepped forward, then his wings extended and took him easily to the site.  
  
"There is no life or death in our roles!" he shouted angrily, but still calm. "There is no purpose, no meaning!" He charged what looked like an energy ball in one hand, but Krillin felt nothing coming from it but pure good. "ONLY GOD!!!"  
  
There was a bright burst of light. The demon screamed for a second, then the light faded, taking the hellborn shrieks and screams with it. Out of the corner of his eye, Krillin could see the six girls collapse on the ground, and he ran toward them as fast as he could. The moment he got there, he clutched his daughter in his arms.  
  
"Marron!" he whispered, then smiled as her eyes fluttered open and she wrapped her little arms around his neck.  
  
"Daddy!"  
  
They embraced for a few seconds, then Marron spoke up. "I knew you'd come to save me Daddy!"  
  
Krillin blinked. "What? You don't remember anything?"  
  
Marron looked up, thinking. "I remember the ogres did something to Mommy - omigosh, Mommy! Is she okay?" she cried.  
  
"She will be, sweetheart." They held each other close, and a tear escaped down his face. "Everything's gonna be okay."  
  
~*~*~  
  
I know this chapter was a little on the short side, but climaxes usually are. I'm planning to put in an epilogue, so keep reading fans! *does a mock of Hercule* YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!  
  
(o^.^o) The Artist Formerly Known As Ed 


	5. Loose Ends

Keys - Epilogue.  
  
SAP WARNING! If you do not like sappy stories, leave this chapter at once, but be warned, this is where I tie up all the loose ends and tell you what the hell just happened!  
  
~*~*~  
  
There were several minutes of silence in which Krillin and Marron just sat there, quiet, confused, but not afraid anymore - there was no need to be. Chi-chi sat up unsteadily and looked around. "Krillin?" she asked, seeing him first. "What happened? Where are we?"  
  
The angel known as Kylik landed gracefully next to one of the other girls, a redhead, and helped her up. "It doesn't matter now. You'll never have to come here again."  
  
"Kylik," Krillin interjected. "I really would like to know what's going on that's so important that we all could have died."  
  
Kylik sighed almost unnoticeably, then motioned toward the gigantic doors. "Those doors lead into the Vale of Shadows. The greatest powers of darkness reside in that Vale. Greater than the monsters you have seen, like Frieza or Cell." He looked up at nothing in particular. "Greater than all of them combined."  
  
"Whoa."  
  
"OH MY GOD!" Chi-chi screamed, suddenly noticing Gohan on the ground near the aforementioned doors. "Gohan! What happened to -" She didn't finish her sentence as she ran over to his motionless body.  
  
Kylik landed on the ground nearby. "Move." In fear, Chi-chi did, as the angel leaned over her older son and laid his hands gently on his chest. Gohan started to glow a faint cyan, and as they looked on, the holes in his skin closed up and knitted together.  
  
His eyes slowly opened, but he was by no means expecting the first thing he saw to be his mother giving him a big bear hug. "Oh Gohan!" she cried.  
  
"YIIII!" Gohan shouted. "Mom, get off!"  
  
"May I continue?" Kylik asked patiently and impatiently at the same time.  
  
"Absolutely," Krillin responded. He was seated in a cross-legged position, Marron in his lap.  
  
Kylik cleared his throat slightly. "The demon you fought has been trying for millennia to overthrow Lucifer as Ruler of Hell. Once she had done that, she would have assembled every demon everywhere to take over Heaven. She doesn't understand that her side has never had even a chance of winning. We have God himself on our side. Lucifer is nothing but a fallen archangel, and he is their most powerful warrior." He took a deep breath. "It would still be for the worst if she did manage to unlock the power of the Vale, though. The earth would never see the end of the torment."  
  
"Hell on earth," Krillin breathed.  
  
"Exactly," Kylik replied with a nod. "There are six Keys to the Vale on the planet, always. To prevent something like this from happening, the locks change every so often. That demon got lucky. She managed to collect all six Keys while they were still the Keys."  
  
Krillin nodded. "And two of them were Marron and Chi-chi."  
  
"Yes." The other suddenly adopted a stern look. "If it weren't for you, she actually would have acquired the dark power behind those doors."  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked. "If it weren't for you, I would be dead." Marron snuggled up to him, not wanting to think of the idea. "It's all right, Marron-chan, I'm not dead," he reassured her, hugging her back.  
  
"No, Krillin. You bought enough time for the locks to change again," Kylik said with a smile, his eyes closed. "And if the locks had changed an hour later than they actually did, you still wouldn't have died."  
  
Krillin gave him an odd look, then remembered his close encounter with the talon. Pushing Marron out slightly, he looked down at his stomach, where there should have been a gaping hole. Sure enough, his shirt was torn there, but he was completely unscathed. He looked up at Kylik again, totally bewildered.  
  
"She couldn't kill you, Krillin," Kylik continued. "None of her kind can." He motioned with one finger. "Come here."  
  
Krillin stood, his daughter clinging to him like Velcro, and walked toward the angel. Kylik placed one hand on Krillin's head, and the latter started to glow.  
  
"Daddy, what's happening?" Marron asked, fear in her voice.  
  
"It's all right, Marron," Krillin responded, gently closing his eyes. Somehow he knew that the angel was changing something within him, as if allowing him to see something he'd known all along. Then a feeling rose up, and for a second, he couldn't tell what it was, but then he realized…  
  
Truth.  
  
The surrealistic impression passed in only a second or two, but he held on to it for a long, long time. In fact, he barely noticed when Kylik removed his hand. He didn't even seem to be conscious until Marron started tugging on his pant leg. "Daddy? Daddy, are you okay?"  
  
He almost jumped. It was like he'd forgotten the world was there. But he quickly came back to reality and picked up his daughter. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up at Kylik again.  
  
"Truth," the angel said. "That's why she couldn't hurt you. Always, throughout your life, you have fought for truth and light, and that alone sets you apart."  
  
Krillin just watched him with an air of understanding.  
  
"That alone," Kylik continued, "makes you strong."  
  
~*~*~  
  
It was the next day. Krillin, Marron, and Gohan were outside the door to Bulma's lab. Bulma was inside working on 18. Goten was still weak, so Goku and Chi-chi were home with him.  
  
Suddenly, the door swung open. Gohan yelped as it came within half an inch of his face.  
  
"Come on in, guys," Bulma said cheerfully. "I'm about to flip the switch." The other three obeyed.  
  
Juuhachigou was laid out on a table, a wire or two attaching her head to the computer terminal. Bulma sat down in front of said terminal and typed a little. 18's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up.  
  
"What…?" she mumbled, like she wasn't sure how to put her questions into words.  
  
"Mommy!" Marron yelled, jumping up onto the table and hugging her tight.  
  
"Marron-chan," 18 replied, holding her daughter close with the hand she wasn't using to support herself.  
  
"I'm so glad you're okay," said Marron, a tear running down her face.  
  
18 sat up the rest of the way and took her in both arms. "I'm glad you're all right too…"  
  
Krillin was still standing by the door with his arms folded across his chest. "Hey," he murmured. "Anyone gonna say hello to me?"  
  
Gohan laughed. "S'ok, Krillin, she just couldn't see you over the counter!"  
  
Krillin promptly bonked him hard. "For one thing, there IS no counter!" he shouted.  
  
18 laughed. "I could see you just fine. You just haven't been as enthusiastic to see me."  
  
"Well then, let's fix that," he smiled, ran over and took her tightly in his arms. "I was worried," he whispered.  
  
She hugged him back. "So was I."  
  
~*~*~  
  
*story end* 


End file.
